This invention relates generally to communications systems, such as subscriber television systems, among others, and more specifically to entitling devices in the communication systems.
Frequently, broadband systems transmit television signals and programs to subscribers of a conditional access system, or a subscriber network system. Broadband systems, such as cable and satellite television systems, typically include a headend for receiving programming and/or data from various sources and redistributing the programming and other data through a distribution system to subscribers. The headend receives programming signals from a variety of sources, such as content providers or entitlement agents, and combines the signals from the various sources, and transmits the combined signals through the distribution system to subscriber equipment. The subscriber network system offers subscribers of the system with services such as, but not limited to, Internet service and telephone service and potentially hundreds of program selections or service instances. Service instances include, but are not limited to, an installment of an audio or visual or audio/visual program. A service instance can be broadcast to all of the subscribers of the conditional access system, a portion of the subscribers, or an individual subscriber. Service instances include regular programming, special programming such as pay-per-view, and subscriber requested services such as personal television.
At a subscriber location, a digital subscriber communications terminal (DSCT) is typically coupled to a coaxial outlet by a short coaxial cable and the coaxial outlet is coupled to the broadband distribution system. Today, there are many subscriber devices such as, but not limited to, smart appliances, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video cassette recorders (VCRs) and televisions that can receive service instances and other information from the subscriber network.
The DSCT and the subscriber devices are sometimes coupled together via a local area network, which can be wired or wireless or a combination thereof. Wired communication paths include, among others, HomePNA 1 and 2, which uses home telephone lines and which has a data transfer rate of up to 1 and 10 Mbps, respectively, HomePlug, which has a data transfer rate of 14 Mbps, and Ethernet. Wired communication has the disadvantage of requiring that a wire extend from the DSCT to the subscriber device, which in an existing subscriber residence may entail retrofitting the residence, and that can be expensive. Therefore, it is frequently desirable to couple subscriber devices to the DSCT using wireless communication, especially with the proliferation of portable computing devices. Wireless communication allows the subscriber to easily move his or her portable computing device, smart appliance, etc., or client-devices, within his or her local wireless network while remaining connected to the subscriber network through the subscriber""s DSCT and also eliminating the need to wire multiple rooms with coaxial cable or other wires. Wireless technologies have advanced so that they enable data to be pumped quickly through a wireless connection. The Institute for Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b standard enables the user to transfer data at a rate approximately equal to Ethernet data rates, about 10 Mbps. As such it is sometimes called wireless Ethernet. IEEE 802.11a enables transfer rates of up to 54 Mbps. Industry collaboration, Bluetooth 2.0 enables users to transfer data at a rate of about 10 Mbps. HomeRF 2.0 is another industry collaboration, backed by a few of the same companies promoting the Bluetooth standard, and like Bluetooth 2.0, has a maximum data transfer rate of about 10 Mbps.
However, local area networks introduce security and control concerns for the operators of the subscriber network system. Thus, there exists a need for a system that addresses these concerns.